By Julia Smith
There are many people who hate horror films, despise them, can’t stand the feeling that at any moment something is going to jump onto the screen and obliterate their senses. But you don’t see other moviegoers weighing up the pros and cons of seeing a horror movie, wondering if it might possibly scare them more afterwards, while they are trying to sleep in their dark, shadowy bedrooms. But everyone scares the same, so why is it that so many people are repelled by horror and so many drawn in? Perhaps it is because, although everyone scares the same, there are those who enjoy the scare. And what makes a scary film that much more enjoyable? What really makes the adrenaline pump around the body? When a horror film crosses over the very fine line between truth and fiction. From films based on ‘supposed true stories’ and those rumoured to be cursed to spine-tingling mockumentaries that encourage us to believe that we are paying witness to true events. All these films outwit the more generic horror genre because the genre itself is grounded in the idea that what is happening on screen ‘could be real’. When there’s some sort of proof that what’s going on is real and the audience believe that they are watching a ‘true supernatural event’, the scare factor is immensely increased.
Stranger than Fiction?
Released in 1981, The Entity is the story of Carla Moran. The film stars Barbara Hershey in the lead role of Carla, a woman who claimed that she was beaten and raped by an invisible and malevolent force that existed within her house. The original story took place in the 1970s in a Los Angeles suburb, and not only were the events recorded by UCLA paranormal investigators, but they were witnessed by the writer of the original book from which the film’s story was taken. However, not only do the book and the film diverge greatly, but Frank De Felitta claims in his book that the story was not based on true events but based on his experience of poltergeist events. But still, the film (with its screenplay written by De Felitta) still claims to have been based on a true story, so it’s really up to the viewer on who to believe. The story will come into question again when later in the year, Hideo Nakata (the Japanese ‘Master of Horror’) releases his own re-make of the film.
One of the greatest horror films ever made is surely The Exorcist. Known to be a ‘cursed’ film, The Exorcist’s supposed curse was based on the idea that a demon was trying to stop the film from being made. These rumours were mainly fuelled by the film’s subject matter. The Exorcist was based on a book by William Peter Blatty, published in 1971. But the inspiration for his story came in 1949 while he was a student at Georgetown University (the area where the book is set). He read a copy of the Washington Post telling the story of the exorcism of a 13-year-old boy, with the pseudonym ‘Roland Doe’. This story was a clear basis for Blatty’s novel, but for the most part Blatty wouldn’t have known what happened at the exorcism so, in effect, the story of Regan is pure fiction.
In 1979, one of the greatest ‘haunted house’ films was released, The Amityville Horror. The film eventually went into a franchise and the films; Amityville II: The Possession and Amityville 3-D (which has been described as ‘not technically a sequel’) were released. The film is based on the story of George Lutz and his family, who, after moving into a new home, became the victims of the house’s malevolent presence. The story has it that deaths occurred in the house some years earlier, supposedly caused by the same presence acting on one of the family members. The story was told by George Lutz to a writer, Jay Anson, who wrote the book. The book eventually became the basis for the film, and finally the remake, released in 2005. However, there is much debate about whether Lutz’s story is true. He maintains its validity to this day. However, there is a rumour that, the morning after the family were driven out of the house, they returned. Why they would do this is anyone’s guess. But you do have to wonder whether Lutz wasn’t just going off the rails. The original story seems to have come from him, and the fact that he and his wife are now divorced does raise the question of whether it was him that was the problem and not the house?
Perhaps a less questionable story is that of The Mothman Prophecies. Released in 2002, the film tells the tale of John Klein (Richard Gere), a news reporter who travels to Point Pleasant, West Virginia to investigate the strange events occurring in the town. The film is based on true events that took place between November 1966 and December 1967 when occupants of the town told stories of encounters with UFOs, Men in Black, a ‘sub-human creature’ (known as the ‘Mothman’) and the receiving of strange phone calls. It has been heavily suggested that many of the events that happened were due to a local prankster known as ‘Barker’, who died in the 1980s, although it is not clear what events he was responsible for. What was most notable about the occupants of the town is that some began making predictions of the future. Only some came true, the most important of which being the collapse of a bridge in December 1967 (an event dramatised in the film). The book written about the events, and the basis for the film, was written by John Keel. An ‘expert’ on the legacy of the ‘Mothman’, Keel’s other research supposedly backs up this event in Point Pleasant with other such stories, depicting the ‘Mothman’ as a sort of ‘bringer’ or ‘harbinger’ of destruction. There is no doubting that the bridge collapsed, and there were a number of occurrences before this event. Also, unlike other supernatural stories, this one has many witnesses and repeats itself in other geographical areas. Enough evidence to perhaps say that, although the entire film isn’t real, maybe the ‘Mothman’ is.
The most recent of the supernatural films to be ‘based on a true story’ is The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Using information from a book written by anthropologist Dr Felicitas Goodman, the film tells the true story of a young German woman who believed herself to be possessed. She turned to her priest for help, but eventually died, leading people to believe he was the murderer. The woman’s name was Anneliese Michel and the events occurred in the 1970s. When her priest was put on trial for Michel’s murder, Goodman was consulted as an ‘expert in possession’. The girl was eventually found to be epileptic and not possessed, as she had previously thought.
Cursed Movies
The Exorcist was released in 1973 and is known primarily for the myths and rumours that surround its making rather than the film itself. A number of incidents shroud the film with intrigue, from accidental deaths, to fires on set to apparent mental breakdowns by the lead actress, Linda Blair (Regan). Rumours report that anywhere from 4 to 9 deaths occurred in the 15-month period in which filming took place. Firstly, there is the matter of actor Jack McGowen, who died of a heart attack after filming his scenes for the film. There is also a rumour that a man who Regan points out is about to die in the film accidentally died on set. Incidentally Max Von Sydow’s brother died while filming, as did Linda Blair’s grandfather, a night watchman for the set and a member of the crew who kept the set ‘refrigerated’ for the exorcism scenes. Vasiliki Maliaros, Father Karras’ mother, also died after filming her scenes. But as her part was edited from the original cut, her death is frequently overlooked. There is also a rumour that one night the entire set went up in a fire.
The Exorcist’s problems didn’t end when the film wrapped. On it’s release, people were said to have vomited and fainted. Further more, death tolls were said to have risen around Georgetown (where the film was set). A number of rumours also surround the film’s premieres, many of which are unsubstantiated. These include a number of heart attacks at premieres and a lightning bolt hitting a 400 hundred year old cross while the film premiered in Italy. Despite the staunch belief of some people that something was trying to stop the film from being made or shown, the resulting prequels and sequels emerged unscathed. The only fatality recorded is that of John Frankenheimer, who died just before making The Exorcist: The Beginning in 2002 (at the ripe old age of 72).
The Omen, released in 1976 and followed by a franchise of prequels, sequels and TV series, is always remembered as not only one of the greatest horror films but as a cursed film. From the first day of shooting to the events after production, the making of The Omen is shrouded in stories of the many deaths that occurred while the film was being made, prompting people to believe that the film was ‘cursed’ by a demonic force. The events started on the first day of shooting when a crew member wrote off a company car in an accident. Later on, one of the film’s producers, Harvey Bernhard, was giving director, Richard Donner, a lift home. When Donner stepped out of the passenger door, another car came around the corner, taking off the passenger door and trapping Donner between the two vehicles.
And as morbid proof that bad things happen in threes, the production ran into difficulty with planes as well. Firstly, Gregory Peck was flying from LA to London when the plane he was in was hit by lightning, temporarily stopping the engines. Secondly, eight hours after Peck’s debacle, screenwriter David Seltzer was also on a plane hit by lightning. Last, and probably the most eerie of all, were the events on a private plane. The crew had booked the plane to film from overhead. However, overbooking by the charter company meant that their plane was given to a group of businessmen. The plane not only crashed, but crashed onto a road, hitting two cars. All involved were killed, apart from a woman and child in the second car - the pilot’s own wife and child.
Then there was the death of a zoo guard. Cut from the original film, the crew had shot footage of lions at Windsor Safari Park. Afterwards, the guard was killed by two of the lions. Further to this, after the film had finished shooting, special effects director John Richardson was in Holland working on A Bridge Too Far. Here, he was involved in a car accident, which involved the beheading of his girlfriend.
Another film to be cursed with a number of deaths was Poltergeist. It’s perhaps best remembered among cursed horror movies because of its lead actress, Heather O’Rourke, dying at such a young age. However, this was preceded by the death of another actress. On November 4th 1982 (4 months after the film’s release), 22 year old Dominique Dunne (who played Dana Freeling) died 4 days after her ex-boyfriend put her in a coma after strangling her. Following this, the actor Julian Beck died on September 14th 1985. However, Beck had been battling with stomach cancer, so it was to be expected. Likewise with actor Will Sampson, who died of complications after a heart-lung transplant in 1987. However, it was O’Rourke’s death, a freak occurrence as it was, that led people to believe that the people who had worked on the film were cursed. On 1st February 1988, at just 12 years old, she was taken to hospital with supposed flu. On the way there, she suffered a cardiac arrest as bacterial toxins were loosened from a bowel obstruction and entered her bloodstream. On arrival at the hospital, her heart was re-started and she was helicoptered to a children’s hospital. She later died on the operating table. Such a strange death led people to believe that she had died while making the third film and filming had continued with a double. This hadn’t happened, but director Gary Sherman decided to use a double to re-shoot the ending for the third film.
Strange as they are…
As entertaining as all these films are, it is not easy to believe some of the stories that the films are based on, as the truth is often based on one person’s story. This truth is then filtered through a novel, and then again through a film, resulting in a distorted version of the true events, if they were even true at all. And although the myths and rumours about the making of these films seem ostentatious, they quite possibly did happen. Accidents happen all the time on films. While making the 2005 version of House of Wax, the whole set burnt to the ground. Bela Lugosi notoriously died of a heart attack while making Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space. None of these events were speculated on, but suddenly, when Linda Blair’s grandfather dies, it’s caused by a demonic force cursing his granddaughter’s film. You really have to wonder, if these demons were so set on stopping these films from being made, then why didn’t Gregory Peck’s plane hit the ground, why didn’t Linda Blair have a complete breakdown and why didn’t Heather O’Rourke die until all three Poltergeist films were made? As fun and entertaining as all these stories are, you do have to wonder whether it wasn’t just coincidence. Richard Donner was hit by a car - so was Stephen King not a few years ago and no-one said that a demon was attacking him. And if anyone is going to be cursed for telling spooky stories, surely King is the man to go for.
It is a possibility that the rumours surrounding horror films such The Exorcist and The Omen are fabricated purely to enhance the feeling that these stories are real. This is done to an extreme in mockumentary horror films - The Blair Witch Project, The St. Francisville Experiment and The Last Broadcast. These films have proven to be some of the scariest we have seen, not because of what we see on screen but what we believe them to be. Although we know them to be fiction, we cannot escape the idea that we are paying witness to actual events. The films are scary because they ‘pretend to be real’, much in the same way as The Exorcist and The Omen do. It is, in fact, a good idea to believe that demonic forces live to cut these films down (the BBFC, for example), because the more we believe a horror to be real, the scarier it will be, and the more enjoyable to watch. And everyone else can go and watch a Disney film in the other room.
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